It's Not Too Late
by gawilliams
Summary: Spoiler Alert based on sides for future episodes. What if Bones decides to go on another date with Hacker? What is Booth's reaction?


_Based on the sides that I've been made aware of that Bones goes on another date with Andrew, what if Booth takes his anger out on Sweets', verbally, and Bones inadvertently overhears? What does she do? What happens to Sweets? More humorous and a dig at Sweets' idiocy added to my own frustration at the idea that TPTB are even thinking about going in this direction vis-a-vis Bones going on another date with Hacker. Here's how I would have it played out with the result we all would like. I hope you enjoy it. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

Booth was pissed. Beyond pissed. He'd thought that all that bullshit about Bones dating Hacker was dead and buried after the one and only date that had happened a few months ago. But now he finds out from Angela that Bones has accepted another date from that fucking pansy, and if Angela is to be believed Bones is doing this because she's tired of celibacy. Well shit! He was tired of not getting any, either, but you didn't see him going out to get a piece of ass, did you? Nooo! He was a good boy and waiting for Bones. And whose fault was that? Why wasn't he himself hitting the sheets with Bones? Sweets! That walking pimple and his bullshit about brain scans is why! Booth had never given two shits about anything Sweets had ever said, except when he gave some good insight into what was going on with Parker the year before, so why had he listened to such unmitigated bullshit this time around? Because when it came down to it, Booth had been scared. Scared of rejection. Scared that Bones wouldn't just reject him, but would leave because she was afraid. And, if he was to be completely 100% honest, he was scared of hurting Bones on the remote, miniscule chance that Sweets may have been right. Not even Gordon Gordon had completely reassured him since all his English friend had suggested was to have "hope". Fat lot of good all that worthless crap had done him!

"Agent Booth?"

Well speak of the devil! Sweets! And looking pretty nervous, too. Good. After what he'd done that little waste of skin deserved to be perpetually scared shitless! "What do you want now, Sweets?" Booth asked, not really caring, but he was at work so he couldn't pound him into oblivion.

"I just heard that Dr. Brennan has accepted another date with Hacker," Sweets remarked, feeling absolutely ill. He'd never intended on Dr. Brennan deciding to look elsewhere, but now she was, and he had to man up and face Booth. He wished he'd just kept his mouth shut and never lied about the brain scans. He was positive that if Booth had said he loved Dr. Brennan that she would have responded positively. At this point he was only praying that Dr. Brennan didn't sleep with Hacker after their date that night. If she did, he was sure that he wouldn't be alive much longer than it took for Booth to reach his office the next morning.

"What the fuck do you care, Sweets?" Booth demanded as he stood and glared at the stupid shrink. "You got exactly what you wanted. Bones and I aren't together. You should be doing cartwheels. As for me? I'm done. I can't do this again. I watched while the love of my life dated Sully and almost left with him because I want nothing more than for her to be happy. Then after all this brain surgery I was going to tell her how I feel, and then you open your fucking mouth and scare the crap out of me. My friendship with Bones is done, Sweets. I'll work with her, and be everything she needs as a colleague, but I can't deal with this anymore."

"I never intended for this to happen," Sweets told Booth, now really scared. This was a monumental disaster.

"Tough shit, Sweets," Booth said angrily. "This is what you get when you fuck with other peoples lives. Now if you'll excuse me, _Dr_. Sweets, I have a meeting with Carolyn. You can let yourself out." Booth stormed out of the office not even noticing Bones standing nearby, a look of absolute horror on her face.

Bones had been coming from Andrews office where she had confirmed their date and was going to Booth's office to give him some papers he needed from their last case and to ask if he wanted to join her for lunch. Before she had come to his door, she saw Sweets go in and she'd stayed back, though she inadvertently heard everything that had been said. What she heard horrified her as she realized for the first time just what her actions over the years, and most likely with the other men, too, and not just Sully, had done to Booth. The idea that he couldn't bring himself to be her friend anymore if she dated Andrew made her so sick that she was nauseous. Looking around she saw that Booth was not in the are, so she went into his office and saw Sweets there looking miserable. She was about to make him even more miserable. She closed the door and looked at him when he lifted his head.

"Hi, Dr. Brennan," Sweets said nervously.

"I heard your conversation with Booth," Bones said with a look of pure venom. "What, _exactly_, did you do, Sweets?" she demanded.

"Oh, crap," Sweets said, now extremely scared of what her response would be.

Five minutes later a crash was heard in Special Agent Booth's office followed by a loud yelp of pain and then a moan. Charlie, the agent who worked for Booth, saw Dr. Brennan come out of Booth's office, a look of urgency on her face. Charlie watched as she walked right over to him.

"Please call some medical assistance for Dr. Sweets," Dr. Brennan stated calmly. "He suffered a fall and has a dislocated right wrist and shoulder, as well as a possible fracture of his right occipital orbit."

Charlie's eyes widened. "A fall, Dr. Brennan?" he asked. He'd heard of her temper and how dangerous she could be, so he decided that no matter what she said, that was how it would be handled and officially reported. He'd never really liked Dr. Sweets anyway, so he wouldn't be going out of his way to doubt anything Dr. Brennan had to say about the incident.

"Yes, a fall," she nodded, a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Do you know where Booth is?" she asked, clearly anxious.

"He went to meet with Carolyn," Charlie replied. He reached for his phone and made the call for medical help for the hapless shrink. He looked into the office and saw the kid was also clutching his balls, so Charlie figured that in her haste to "assist" Sweets, Dr. Brennan must have "assisted" him with a good kick to the balls. He watched as Dr. Brennan made her way, very rapidly, to the elevators."You okay in there, Sweets?" Charlie called out. A low groan of pain was the only response. "The EMT's are on the way, Sweets. Just holler if you need anything!" If Dr. Brennan laid the guy out like that, then Charlie was of the opinion that the twerp deserved it. He'd let the EMT's deal with his sorry ass.

Bones made her way to Carolyn's office. She was in emotional turmoil. The idea that she had been hurting Booth so bad these last few years was so gut wrenching that she was as horrified as she was when she discovered Jared's duplicity. Losing Booth's friendship was something she could not allow to happen. It galled her that Sweets had so maliciously used Booth like he did. There was absolutely no excuse for the lie he had told Booth. She fully intended on reporting him to the professional licensing boards that oversaw psychiatric care in the states he was licensed in and letting them know what he'd done. If they didn't do anything about it, she would simply go and dislocate his other wrist and shoulder. For now, though, she needed to see Booth and make amends. She cursed herself for having been so foolish as to think that it would be fine to deal with her urges with Andrew, when she should have known it was not right considering how adamant Angela and the others at the Jeffersonian had been about it the first time she had accepted a date with him. As she walked along the corridor one word kept going through her mind: eventually. Booth had told her that there is someone for everyone and that all things happen _eventually_. Had Sweets cruelty and her own foolishness let eventually slip by never to return? She saw Booth coming out of the office and knew she would be finding out.

"Booth!" she called out and she saw him turn and see her, which caused him to grimace. The thought that she should have damaged Sweets more went rushing through her mind.

"What are you doing here, Bones?" he asked with little enthusiasm. He hadn't been kidding when he'd told Sweets that he needed to end his close friendship with Bones. It hurt, though.

Bones saw an empty conference room and she grabbed him by the arm, dragging him into it. She faced him, looking him square in the eyes. "I heard your conversation with Sweets," she said bluntly.

"Fuck!" Booth exhaled. This was just fucking great! Now that 12 year old sniveling shit was making this whole process even more painful.

"Why didn't you tell me what he said to you?" she demanded.

"What was I supposed to say, Bones?" he demanded right back. "You hightailed it right out to Guatemala before I was back to normal and then when you got back and I wanted to tell you how I feel he scares the shit out of me with all his crap about my brain scan showing that I didn't really love you. So what should I have said? 'Hey Bones, I'm in love with you, but I can't be sure because Sweets says I'm still fucked up in my head?' Yeah, right, Bones."

"That's exactly what you should have said, dammit!" she told him fiercely. "You should have also told me how you really felt about me going to Guatemala instead of telling me you were fine and to have a good time on the dig. I've been so fucking stupid, Booth, and now to hear you don't want to be my friend anymore?"

"I can't do it again, Bones," he told her quietly. "I sat on the sidelines and watched you date Sully and it tore me up. I wanted to beat the shit out of Hacker when you told me you were going on a date with him a few months ago. He's a fucking womanizing bastard who only wants in your pants, Bones. You deserve better than that. You deserve..." his voice went silent, not quite able to say the words.

"I deserve what, Booth?" she demanded. "I haven't been with a man since I was stupid enough to try and have two boyfriends. I miss having sex, Booth. I'm constantly having to masturbate in order to have some release. So tell me what I deserve?"

"You deserve me!" he blurted out. "And I deserve you, flaws and all. I can't remember a time since I met you that I haven't wanted you. Sure it was lust at first, but then I saw the real you and you're the most incredible woman I've ever known. But every time I seem to get up the courage to tell you, something gets in the fucking way. I just can't take it anymore, Bones."

"What about the line?" she asked. If she was going to salvage this, and get what she really wanted, then she was going to dismantle the thing that had caused all of the heart ache for Booth as she'd used the other men from Sully on to hide from her own anguish that his drawing of the line caused.

"That was probably the stupidest thing I've ever said in my life, Bones," he told her honestly.

"Right after 'in an atta girl sorta way'," Bones shot back, letting him see the hurt that that statement had caused her, just as much as the line had.

"That was major mistake number three," Booth stated.

"Three?" Bones asked.

"Number two was telling Sully, when he asked, that you weren't involved with me," Booth revealed.

"You would have lied to him?" Bones asked, astonished since that would have been very closely following the line pronouncement.

"If I'd have known that you would be interested in dating him and then consider leaving with him? Hell yes! I would have also went over to your place and begged you to go out with me," Booth told her bluntly.

"Ask me now," Bones said suddenly. She knew that this was her one chance, and if she was too late, then the most important friendship in her life was over, and the stable foundation that her life had enjoyed for the last five years, and desperately needed in the future, would be gone.

Booth sighed, hoping that this wasn't some sick game, though he knew that Bones didn't pull that kind of shit. "Bones, I've been wanting to go out with you for years. Would you go out to dinner with me tonight? Not as partners or friends, but as two people who want to see if something more can come of it?" he asked her.

Bones smiled. "Yes," she replied. She held up her hand. "Then after dinner we are going back to my apartment and having a long talk, Booth. I think both of us have been avoiding a lot between us for a long time now. Can we clean the air?"

Booth chuckled. He was still having a hard time believing that this was happening. "It's _clear _the air, Bones, not clean," he affectionately corrected her. Then he groaned. "What about Hacker?' he asked.

"It's over," Bones said firmly. That was something else she fully intended on discussing with Booth that night. Hacker, who she hadn't slept with, and the men she _had_ been with since, and including, Sully. She wouldn't apologize for seeing to her needs, but she would let Booth know how much she hated having hurt him and failing to recognize it until now. "I'll talk to him after we have lunch."

Booth smiled. "Can I gloat and lord it over him?" he practically pleaded. He so much wanted to rub it in to that brown nosing putz.

"That's beneath you, Booth," Bones stated directly. Then she decided to have a bit of fun. "besides, when you come in strutting tomorrow morning after you've had the best piece of ass you've ever had, and the only piece of ass you'll ever have again since I intend on keeping you, that should be a very clear message."

"What about clearing the air?" Booth said as the implication of her statement became clear, in addition to the very lusty look in her eyes.

"You really think I intend on talking all night when I need you to show me how to break the laws of physics?" she asked as she opened the door and stepped out. "Let's go to lunch, Booth, and then we can go visit Sweets in the hospital to let him know that our sessions are now ended."

Booth caught up to her as she entered the elevator. "Sweets is in the hospital?" he asked.

"I finally took your advice and slugged him," Bones shrugged.

"YES!!!" Booth said loudly with a fist pump as the elevator doors closed.

Bones smiled as she saw and heard this, pleased that it wasn't too late for her and Booth after all. She still intended on reporting Sweets to the licensing boards, but she could be gracious and apologize for assaulting him so severely. Maybe she wasn't so detached from her emotions as she thought she was. She smiled at that realization and began to mentally plan for that night. Her life was finally showing some symmetry.

_A/N: Well there it is. My fix to the sides that really got under my skin. I hope that this was different enough from my earlier work _**She's What?!**_ That you can enjoy this without feeling as if this has been done before. As always I am so very appreciative of all the wonderful reviews that you've been giving my stories. I hope this one shot meets with that same level of approval. Gregg._

_A/N2: I didn't have a sex scene in this one as I wanted a B/B resolution of the sides, and I didn't include Hacker in this as I didn't want to come across as beating a dead horse. I wanted this one to stand on the merits of Booth and Bones, with a little hurting of Sweets thrown in. For all those that like Sweets, which I also do in most instances, I apologize. Gregg._


End file.
